Rock band Ash said this week they would not release any more albums, opting to release singles online instead.

It is the fourth year in a row that UK music fans have been the biggest buyers of CDs.

While CD sales are slipping, and sales of downloaded music are rising, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) says British consumers are still happy to buy their music on disc.

'Flexibility'

ERA director general Kim Bayley said: "The rise of downloading in the singles market may have captured the headlines over the past couple of years, but when it comes to albums, UK music fans still overwhelmingly prefer the convenience and flexibility of digital formats."

Digital sales still accounted for less than one-twelfth of the music market, she added.

In 2006, 164.4m CDs were sold in the UK, down on the 172.6m sold during the previous year.